Reality Cheque, Pt. I

Reality Check. This blob will be more of a list than the usual poetry I write. So, Heads up! While I would like to say that we are at a point where we, like our children, no longer need hard line phones, it’s simply not true. We don’t use the hard line phone in the same way we used to –like to communicate with the rest of the world. No, now we use them to call the cell phones we can no longer find. Never do anything for anyone with expectations of some return. Only do things for people because it is something that you want to do, and which makes you happy. If it makes them happy, that’s a gift. Disney movies are not written for children. They may enjoy them, but they will mostly miss the point. Children do not have the money for admission. Generally speaking, most ten year olds don’t have a driver’s license. Adults write and produce them, and there’s always a level of sophistication as well as a message, that only a grown up will understand. Yes, even “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” If you are over fifty, do not listen to anyone who says, “You are too old to wear that.” What makes a piece of clothing young or old? The person who wears it. You are never too old to wear anything. However, some clothes are ridiculous regardless of age, and if you don’t want people to guffaw as you walk by, don’t wear those. Children will never believe these three things a. something is “in their best interest.” b. Someone they think they love is not worthy of them. c. Parents, despite their attempts, will never understand how children really feel about anything. Of course there are more things, but I’m saving those for later. When you get involved in a new project, endeavor, or career, never listen to anyone who says that you can’t achieve success because, you don’t know enough, you don’t have enough experience, you won’t fit in, or you are too old. That’s always bullshit, and usually says more about their ability, imagination, where-with-all, and level of competence, than it does about yours. Riding on the subway (I don’t care where you are), is a wonderful experience, an education, a way to really ‘see’ a place. When my brother bicycled from Scotland to England, and I met him we then got around by subway. At some point (yes, I was tired) I started to scream at him because I was tired of being underground –not seeing the sights. Huddled with the unwashed. In the winter it’s cold and crowded. In the summer it’s hot and crowded. Sure there is air conditioning and heat, but not on the streets you take to get there, the stations you wait forever in, or on anything but the cars—if it’s working. When it works it will get you where you want to go in a timely manner, but if it is not working and you have become dependent on it, the alternatives are never convenient or good. No matter how clean it is supposed to be, remember it’s below the surface of a city – how clean can it possibly be? Would you eat off the tracks? It’s a place where rats thrive, and garbage is not removed until it is spilling over the sides of the track. No matter how many rules there are pertaining to what you can and cannot do while in transit, it is still never going to be as pleasant as riding in a limo. This is not up for discussion. It just will never be as pleasant. (Don’t tell me about rush hour or traffic). That being said, I wouldn’t get around any other way. It’s just the minute I start thinking, wow this is great, I do a reality check and simply admit, this sucks but it’s better than not getting you where you want to go. Enough for now, enjoy the ride. More to come. We’re just sayin’… Iris